Workamping

jenn November 19th, 2008

Below is a list of websites and services that connect workers with organizations, many of which provide camping arrangements. Please feel free to leave a comment linking to a site we have not covered. Comments on this page will be moderated.

Grow Food - view listings
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is a cultural exchange. We gather a list of sustainable farms, projects, and organizations that invite volunteers to help out. People interested in experiencing a sustainable use our list to make contact with hosts and setup visits. Hosts and volunteers out the details of their own arrangements.

National Park Service - view listings
Most people know that the National Park Service cares for national parks, a network of nearly 400 natural, cultural and recreational sites across the nation. The treasures in this system – the first of its kind in the world –have been set aside by the American people to preserve, protect, and share, the legacies of this land.

USA Freedom Corps - view listings
Find existing volunteer service opportunities in their area. This search-friendly database includes over 4 million volunteer opportunities from organizations across the country. Forestry, first aid, and much more. I have the best luck by putting as the search term. BLM, Forestry, FEMA, etc.

RV Park Store - view listings
RV Park, , and Resort Help Wanted/Employment Listings. Updated a couple times a month.

KOA Kamper Program - contact
With 460 KOA locations, possibilities abound. Every year, our KOA Kamper program offers hundreds of job opportunities across our network of KOA Kampgrounds. For those who love the RV camping life, it’s simply a win/win opportunity. KOA owners always need seasonal help. And if you are willing to roll up your sleeves, you can make a short-term commitment and earn pay while you stay.

American Land and Leisure - view listings
American Land & Leisure has been in the business for 20 years, and currently maintains more campgrounds on Federal lands than any other concessionaire in the United States, with contracts for over 400 National Forest, Pacific Gas & Electric and other private campgrounds from California to West Virginia. The company has set the standard for caring for customers and providing well kept and clean facilities at a fair price.

Corp of Engineers - view listings
The Army Corps of Engineers is the steward of the lands and waters at Corps water resources projects. Its Natural Resources Management mission is to manage and conserve those natural resources, consistent with the ecosystem management principles, while providing quality public outdoor recreation experiences to serve the needs of present and future generations.

-Camping.com - contact
Recreation Resource Management was founded in 1988 to provide local, state, and federal government with an alternative for managing public recreational facilities. For nearly 15 years, we have partnered with government organizations to provide quality services and environmental stewardship while increasing the net return to government. RRM administers over 175 properties in 12 states for various government bodies. At the peak of the summer season, we have over 700 employees overseen by nearly 50 highly experienced operations managers.

Bureau of Land Management - view listings
BLM volunteers enjoy that matches their interests and schedules. Some volunteers serve part-time and others enjoy a seasonal or full-time position. 261 million acres- are managed by the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), making the BLM manager of the nation’s largest land trust. The public lands administered by the BLM range from saguaro cactus desert to Douglas fir tundra. Overall, these lands, located primarily in the Western part of the United States, comprise nearly one-eighth of our nation’s land area. The BLM’s mission is to help sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of these public lands so they can be used and enjoyed by both present and future generations.

Workamper News - contact
Started in 1986, it is the most used commercial workamping service. Print and electronic bi-monthly magazine. Access to new job openings daily. Forum.

Passport in Time - view listings
Passport in Time (PIT) is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program of the USDA Forest Service (FS). PIT volunteers with professional FS archaeologists and historians on national forests throughout the U.S. on such diverse activities as archaeological survey and excavation, rock art restoration, survey, archival research, historic structure restoration, oral history gathering, and analysis and curation of artifacts. The FS professional staff of archaeologists and historians will be your hosts, guides, and co-workers.

Coolworks - view listings
Cool Works is about you finding a seasonal job or career in some of the greatest places on Earth. Get a summer job in Yellowstone, Yosemite, or another national park. Find a summer job as a camp counselor. Ski resorts, ranches, theme parks, tour companies and more are waiting for you.

Other ways to make :

Freelancing
Whether you are a writer, a web developer, a software engineer, a photographer, or possess a number of other skills, you can find a way to make freelancing. The sites below connect you to people who want to pay you to sit in the comfort of your motorhome and do what you do best.

iFreelance.com - Get access to 1000’s of buyers in need of your professional services. Advertise to buyers, bid on projects, and earn doing what you love to do. Commission-Free!

Associated Content - $1.50 per 1 000 views.

Helium - pays per click as well as giving you upfront payments per article depending on your rating there.

Triond - pay per 1000 clicks.

Freelance Writing Gigs.com - Employers place their needs here.

Affiliate Programs
Make connecting people to the sites they want to go.

Ebay - The eBay Affiliate Program pays Internet publishers, Web masters, online partners, and eBay sellers to drive new users and sales to eBay. Affiliates promote eBay with banners, text links, and other innovative tools, such as the Editor’s Kit and the Flexible Destination Tool. In return, they receive commissions for driving new, active users as well as winning bids and “Buy It Now” purchases. Currently, the top 25 affiliates in the program average above $100,000 in monthly commissions.

Other
Cafe Press - Create and sell your own clothing.

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Back at GSP

johnny November 5th, 2008

Yah, I know we’ve been slacking on the blog updates lately, but as soon as we were done with the carnie gigs, we hit the again without pausing to look for cellular service. I don’t think we’ll be doing any concession anytime soon; so whatever jobs come next should be fairly new to us.

We left South Carolina in a hurry and made a beeline for the Great Saltpetre Cave Preserve in Mt. Vernon again. We were hoping to get some in and see some friends once more before it gets too cold to be in and we head out west for the winter.

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Building a bat gate

johnny September 24th, 2008

Well, we’ve got more than a bar of Internet tonight, so I figure it’s time we got caught up on some blogging.

Horn Hollow Cave

After we spent a couple of weekends at the Great Saltpetre Preserve with some great people from the area, we headed towards Boone, NC to start our next stint as carnies. However, we got sidetracked leaving as Jenn noticed Carter Caves State Park was just a few miles out of the way. As this is where Crawl-a-thon is held in January, we decided it would be worth a quick stop over and looksee.

We got up bright and early and explored Laurel and Horn Hollow caves. Both are rather short trips, that have been ‘prepared’ for tourists, but they are still unlit, self-led trips. Horn Hollow has a beautiful entrance, but is otherwise not much to look at from inside. Laurel was quite a pretty little cave and we were able to get off-trail and explore the upper passage as well as climb a small waterfall that most non-cavers would have never seen.

Roy and Jerry. The gate is now complete.

Once we got to the camper, covered in cave mud, and I got stripped down to my high performance underwear, a couple of guys walked up, and rather than running away, they wanted to chat, which marked them as cavers and not afraid of dirty, half-dressed hippies in a parking lot. This was our introduction to Roy and Jerry. They were in the area building a bat gate, which is designed to let bats in, but keep people out during bat hibernation season. Since we were the only muddy folks around with a bat sticker on our vehicle, they assumed we’d be good suckers, err… candidates, to volunteer to help out.

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Dear Claire,

jenn September 5th, 2008

Thanks for posting. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you. We have been very busy working and enjoying ourselves. Thankfully, we have been able to do both at the same time.

Claire @ http://escapethe9to5.blogspot.com

Hi Jen

How long do you think your trip will last?

Is it a trip or a change of ? If it is a trip how do you plan to make the transition back to the 9-5 grind if ever? Do you worry about the future? Do you worry about being homless

How do you manage for ? Do you live off savings or do you along the way?

I am really intersted in your blog and your plans for the future. I am having another life crisis and I need to do something to change my life.

Cheers

Claire

As for how long the trip will last: forever, I hope. It is definitely a change of . From the shedding of all of our accumulated baggage and absurd “needs” to opening up to new people and opportunities, we have changed. Even if the trip was tragically cut short, I have learned new values that I will always keep with me.

At this time, I do not foresee myself returning to the 9-5. I find it very stifling. My career, while profitable, was a drain on my physical and mental health. I cannot imagine returning to a cubicle, ever. I cannot imagine sitting in an office working at least 9hrs a day, sometimes 16, for someone else’s dream. Life is way too short to live that way.

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Sometime In The Not Too Distant Future